Washington (CNN) - An overriding question of "who is this guy" can be felt in the room when Tommy Wells stands to take the open microphone at an event about the racial disparities in Washington drug arrests.

The council member is addressing an eclectic, racially diverse crowd: a mix of people personally affected by racial profiling and white 20-somethings with tight jeans and button-covered backpacks. Wells, a suit-clad, oval-faced, gray-haired, white politician stands out.